


my heart likes you

by stilljunhui (acyria)



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Athlete Park Sunghoon, Cute Nerd Jake, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Jake, Pining, Romance, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acyria/pseuds/stilljunhui
Summary: On one hand, Jake finally developed his soulmate link enough to feel the same pain his soulmate felt. Every scratch, cut, bruise, or sprain made him both worried and thrilled because hey, he had a soulmate! On the other hand, there was his giant, one-sided crush on ice hockey player, Park Sunghoon.
Relationships: Park Sunghoon/Shim Jaeyoon | Jake
Comments: 51
Kudos: 212





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i have over 10+ soulmate related fics and somehow i'm not even sorry to add one more to that list. i am, however, sorry because this is chaptered and my chaptered fics... well... update once in a blue moon... this is my first time working with soulmate links that work through injuries / pain though! also this will be a fairly short fic so i'll probably get it done soon (famous last words).
> 
> i've also added a few of the i-land trainees here and there (with a bigger focus on euijoo because i love euijoo) as extra characters alongside the rest. their age range and school year relation here is kinda wonky but 02-04 line are sophomores, which i think is the only important thing you need to know since i feature mostly the 02liners...
> 
> none of my fics are beta'd so i'd appreciate if u point out mistakes ♡

“Why are you limping?” Jungwon asked, pointed eyes giving his best friend a judging look that only he can manage to do despite wearing bright yellow pajamas. 

Said best friend and roommate, Jake, merely glared at the other with the best of his abilities (which honestly, wasn’t very threatening) as he hobbled into their dorm room. 

“This is the 3rd time this month that my soulmate is injured,” the brunette complained, shuffling awkwardly across the room and towards his bed. His right ankle was physically fine to look at, but due to his soulmate link, felt like it was constantly burning with pain. It wasn’t as bad as when he got a sprain _and_ a cut on his knee at the same time though, so maybe he shouldn’t be complaining so much. Jake was trying not to be so worried despite himself. 

The darker haired boy looked at him with pity, “you’re not exactly graceful yourself.” 

“I already know that _I’m_ clumsy, but what kind of person does my soulmate have to be to get this many injuries?” Jake whined, curling up on his bed and willing himself to ignore the pain. He knew it wasn’t as bad at whatever his soulmate was feeling since he only received dull effects. Still, he’d like to go at least one week without pain in his body. Just the other day, he had random bruises on his legs. He didn’t recall getting hit anywhere, so his soulmate was definitely the cause. 

The start of his random body pains was how Jake figured out he had a soulmate though, which was probably the only positive thing about his situation. Not that he knew anything about the other person or where to find them, apart from the phantom marks and pain. The first time he got hints of scratches on his knees and elbows for no apparent reason, he panicked so much that Jungwon had to call in Niki to help him out. By the time they all realized it was just his soulmate link, it became less of a big deal. 

“Do you think they’re an athlete?” Jake wondered out loud, remembering his days back in Australia playing soccer before he had to move to South Korea for university. 

He was too young then to form a proper link though, so at least he didn’t give anybody a hard time. Nonetheless, he knew how it felt to slip up now and then, often coming home bruised and battered. At least he was doing something he enjoyed. It was the more hopeful possibility than the thought of his soulmate possibly getting injured for other reasons, from other people. Jake didn’t want to go down that route at all, especially since he wouldn’t be able to do anything to help, if that were true. 

At his question though, Jungwon couldn’t help but scoff, “you’re just hoping it’s that tall guy from the ice hockey team, aren’t you?” 

Colour immediately rushed to Jake’s cheeks as he tried to form a quick comeback, but ultimately failed. 

“I’m not _hoping_ it’s anybody,” he said weakly instead, willing his mind to erase the image of said tall guy from the hockey team. “I was just wondering, that’s all.” 

“You look like a lovesick puppy whenever we see him around campus.”

“Shut up, I haven’t even seen him this month.” 

“So you were looking for him?” Jungwon countered with a teasing grin, knowing that he had already won against Jake and his denial. 

The brunette chose not to dig himself further deeper into a hole and promptly ignored the other boy. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and Jungwon had successfully made him think about pitch black hair, fair skin, and legs that could go on for _days_ that looked good even in jeans. _Especially_ in jeans. Was it possible for someone to look insanely attractive on a regular basis? Jake was beginning to think that Park Sunghoon wasn’t real. 

But he was real, and he was part of the ice hockey team, and he was ridiculously handsome. 

It was also impossible that someone like him could be Jake’s soulmate. 

Jake often reminded himself that there was nobody more graceful on earth than Park Sunghoon, who glided on ice like he was born for it, even for such a rough sport like hockey. There was no way his skill level would make him acquire injuries like the ones the brunette has experienced recently, too. Still, while his soulmate remained unknown to him, Jake figured it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to develop a crush on someone else. It’ll fade away. Eventually. 

Except much like the bruises on his legs, it didn’t. They’re in their second year in university and Jake had yet to land his sights on anybody else. His crush started when they all had to attend a cheer rally back in freshman year for the various varsity teams and Sunghoon had captured him from the very beginning. Unfortunately, they weren’t in the same course. The campus was also huge with multiple places where the students could rest, study, or eat. Jake considered it a miracle whenever he would catch a glimpse of the hockey player walking with his friends or even alone. 

His soulmate link, however, only manifested a few months into sophomore year.

It was also met with Jake seeing the pale-skinned boy fairly less around campus. He once let it slip in a complaint when he was around Niki, and the younger boy had commented something about how gaining his soulmate link meant letting go of his feelings for Park Sunghoon. Granted, it made sense for Jake to choose having a soulmate over some silly crush, but he had waved the idea away as mere coincidence. 

“Have you thought of which student organization to join yet?” Jungwon asked after a period of silence. 

The brunette shook his head, “I told Euijoo that I would apply in whatever he chose though.”

“Euijoo?” His roommate replied in surprise. “Last I heard from Taeyong, he wanted to join some kind of beta fish org. What, do you want to look for Nemo or something?”

“First of all,” Jake started with a cheeky grin already in place since he liked it whenever he was going to annoy Jungwon with his useless little facts about the world, “Nemo is a clownfish, not a beta fish, so no. Second―before you throw that pillow at me, put it down―I told him I wasn’t going to get dragged into an org like that, if any. I think he found some kind of theatre org though, that sounds kind of fun.”

The dark-haired boy couldn’t help but laugh, despite the pillow still in his hand, “do you think you’ll fit in an org like that? Jake, you’re an Applied Mathematics major.”

“I have love for the arts, just so you know,” Jake replied, rolling his eyes when the other boy didn’t look convinced. It wasn’t like he could go anywhere else with someone he knew; Jungwon was in the taekwondo team, while Niki had his own dance team outside of university. The only reason he ended up paired with Euijoo was because the latter’s best friend, Youngbin, was recently recruited for the basketball varsity team. That left the two of them together.

He had briefly considered trying out for the soccer team, but he _did_ have a pretty deadly course that most students switched out of after a year. Jake wasn’t having the _best_ time, but he did enjoy being challenged to an extent, so he was sticking with his choice (or, well, his parents’ choice for him). Still, he believed that all work and no play would make him a dull boy, so joining a school org was something he decided on before the school year even started. 

“Who knows, I could meet my soulmate there or something like that,” Jake said dismissively, lifting his leg up closer to his face so he could inspect what looked like a new bruise.

Jungwon snickered, “if there was a club that Park Sunghoon was in, I bet you’d join in a heartbeat.”

“I’m not _desperate_ ,” the brunette argued despite the way his cheeks turned a soft pink because a part of him found the idea quite nice. Not that it was possible though, since Sunghoon was already in a varsity team and definitely had no time for other activities. Besides, Jake thought to himself some more, he wouldn’t know what to do if that happened. He was hoping they’d end up classmates at some point of his stay in university though.

He poked at the bruise on his knee and winced. His main priority was his soulmate though, Jake repeated to himself as he sighed at the pain and how hopeless he felt. 

If they met first, his silly crush on ice hockey player Park Sunghoon would easily fade.

(Right?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (on the off-chance that you've already read my stray kids hyunin fics, there's a very small cameo appearance the beta fish club made from one of my other fics, heh) 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this first chapter uwu


	2. Chapter 2

Registration week for extracurriculars came and went in a blur of too-friendly-faces, flyers he didn’t even read, and half-hearted promises to some friends that he’d join their club before quickly fleeing their grasp. Jake didn’t want to reject so many people, but he also didn’t necessarily find Nicholas’ hardcore breakdance club appealing. Before he knew it, Jake was walking with Euijoo towards the theatre club’s general assembly meeting a few days after they both successfully applied when the latter stopped in his tracks.

“Can we wait here for a bit?” Euijoo asked, glancing at his phone. “My friend said he’d join us.”

The brunette nodded absentmindedly, thoughts wandering towards how he had an exam in a week’s time, but he could probably make enough time to study for that. Jake tuned out most of his surroundings until he spotted a familiar figure walking towards their direction; a tall, dark, and handsome silhouette emerging from the distance like some kind of main actor from a show. At least the day included spotting Park Sunghoon, so it wasn’t terrible.

Jake quickly glanced away from Sunghoon as he was getting closer, turning to Euijoo to ask him about his friend as a distraction, but the latter was already waving at someone.

“Took you long enough,” Euijoo greeted enthusiastically as his friend stopped right next to Jake.

“Sorry, I got caught up in class,” a low voice replied.

There was a very distinct shiver that ran down Jake’s spine as he froze in his spot. He didn’t need to turn to know that he was standing right _next_ to Park Sunghoon, since he could feel it with the way every bone in his body felt like they wanted to melt into a puddle. He could make out the dark-blue university jacket from his peripheral vision, the same one he saw just minutes ago that he didn’t expect to see _right next to him, damn, Euijoo could have warned him―_

“Sunghoon, this is Jaeyoon, but we all just call him Jake. Meanwhile, Jake, this is the friend I mentioned, Sunghoon,” Euijoo was in the process of introducing them, a calm smile on his face at the fact that the brunette was currently in the middle of a mental crisis, but it wasn’t like he knew about Jake’s huge crush anyway. He continued unaware, “we’re all in the same year, actually, but I’m not sure if you two know each other.”

Jake tried to say that he did, in fact, know about the other boy and often watched their hockey games, but Sunghoon had spoken first.

“I see him around, but we’ve never met,” the taller boy said easily, turning towards Jake and meeting his eyes. He smiled warmly, “nice to finally meet you, though.”

“Same here,” the brunette said in a manner that Jungwon would have called _lame_. He quickly looked away from Sunghoon and turned back to the trees, the nearby buildings, Euijoo, anything and anybody but the boy who continued to stare at him. Jake wasn’t the most self-conscious person in the world, but it was hard not to be under the gaze of his crush. He should have worn something besides a plaid shirt.

It was only when Euijoo had began walking next to Sunghoon towards their destination, with Jake lagging behind them, did he realize something in what the latter had said. Nice to _finally_ meet? Was he looking forward to meeting Jake as much as the brunette wanted to meet him, too? Then again, it could have just been out of formalities. Seeing each other around campus wasn’t a big surprise, but it did please Jake to know that Sunghoon noticed him at least a little.

Euijoo must have noticed his silence as he stopped walking and allowed Jake to hastily catch up to the two.

“Sunghoon here is actually in Theatre Arts,” the dark-haired boy explained, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “He’ll help us get to know the others in the org since he’s popular in their course.”

“I’m really not,” Sunghoon replied, eyes casting downwards shyly in a way that allowed Jake to stare at him for a while longer. 

“He _really_ is,” Euijoo said playfully, before going to explain that he’s heard a decent amount of people talking about Park Sunghoon nearly everywhere he went. Not only was he popular as an athlete, he was also well-known to be someone who had the looks and talent of a born theatre star. Then again, it wasn’t like Sunghoon had actively participated in any of the universityproductions, though.

Needless to say, Jake absorbed the new information readily.

He already knew all about the _athlete_ side of Sunghoon, but there was something about how being a Fine Arts major made the other boy all the more attractive. Jake complained silently in his head the whole time Euijoo was teasing Sunghoon about it; being _that_ perfect was a little unfair in his own humble opinion. It didn’t help that he was so average in comparison as just another face in the crowd. 

“I think you guys will do great though,” Sunghoon said when they reached the classroom where the assembly was being held. “New blood is always welcomed.”

There were already a good handful of students lounging around the room, some talking in groups, while a few sat alone and idly scrolled down their phones. A few students were at the front of the classroom, undoubtedly officers of the club. Both of them immediately perked up when Sunghoon entered the room. One of the boys in particular immediately rushed over to greet them, flashing Euijoo and Jake a bright smile, before turning back to Sunghoon.

“You’re really joining us for the semester, right, Sunghoon?” The shorter boy asked, almost pleadingly with a hint of a pout on his lips.

“Yes, Sunoo, I’ve been telling you that all week,” the black-haired boy said, rolling his eyes when the boy named Sunoo clapped his hands in joy. “This is Euijoo and Jake, by the way, they’ll be joining us, too.”

“Perfect! If we have enough active members, we could have a bigger ensemble for―“

Someone from the officers cleared his throat loudly and captured their attention. Jake recognized the auburn-haired boy as Lee Heeseung―a name and face famous around campus for how he starred in last year’s school rendition of Rent and in turn, got multiple invites from top casting companies, he was well-known even among Jake’s friends―just as the older boy gestured for Sunoo to stop talking. 

“Oops,” Sunoo said sheepishly. “It’s still a secret. Take a seat though, we’ll be starting soon!”

As Jake glanced around the room for empty seats, he couldn’t help but notice how most of the others in the room were greeting Sunghoon with friendly smiles and cheerful waves. He really was popular then, he mused to himself as they all took a seat. In the midst of his thoughts, he didn’t notice that rather than sit next to Euijoo, he had taken the seat beside Sunghoon, as the pale boy was seated in between them instead.

He couldn’t ask to switch, that might give off the wrong impression, but Jake also wasn’t sure he could survive the whole hour next to Park Sunghoon.

Especially because right when they took a seat, Sunghoon had turned towards him again.

“How did Euijoo manage to drag you here, by the way?” He asked, resting his chin on his hand as he leaned on the table towards the brunette. 

“I just said I was joining whatever he was joining,” Jake answered, chuckling awkwardly. He glanced briefly at his friend for some help, but Euijoo was busy tapping away on his phone. He didn’t even look the least bit concerned about what was happening around him, which made sense for how he was as a person, but still made Jake squirm in his seat further and attempt telepathy. 

_Help me talk to Sunghoon properly_ , his mind yelled.

_Euijoo doesn’t even know about your silly crush_ , a voice in his head that sounded vaguely like Jungwon said back to him. 

_Don’t forget about your soulmate_ , a part of him said as well. The moment that crossed his mind, Jake felt the familiar dull ache in his right ankle. Ever since the day he complained to Jungwon about it, things didn’t get any better. The bruises stopped, at least, but his ankle had been bothering him at random points of the day all week. He wondered if his soulmate was okay, but didn’t know how to ask, since it wasn’t like he knew who his soulmate was to begin with.

It didn’t help that the way Sunghoon actively talked to him, and smiled at him, and made small little comments during the assembly just made Jake feel like he was drifting further way from thinking about his soulmate and more towards his crush. He steeled himself a little after that, determined not to be the type of soulmate who would end up breaking the connection by falling in love with someone else.

The brunette had told himself long ago that he wasn’t going to be like that, but then Sunghoon leaned towards him to whisper a snarky comment and Jake couldn’t help but feel butterflies in his stomach. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: i'll update this regularly
> 
> also me, to myself: sike !
> 
> (but thank you to all who are reading, your kudos and comments are much appreciated!)

Talking to Sunghoon was great, especially because it turned out to be easier than he thought.

By the end of the assembly, Jake had managed to hold a decent conversation with the other boy. Along with that, he met the rest of the present members of the club, including a proper introduction to Sunoo and Heeseung. Once everything had formally ended, Jake even stayed behind with Euijoo to wait for Sunghoon, who was being cornered by the club officers. It wasn’t hard to hear what they were talking about.

“How are you going to balance rehearsals and hockey training?” A concerned Heeseung asked upon hearing that Sunghoon was going to be an active member.

Jake, who was curious about the same thing, listened in.

“I’m on a leave from the team for this semester,” Sunghoon explained, tone neutral. He didn’t sound like it was a bad thing, but it certainly wasn’t something he enjoyed saying, either. 

“Really? What happened?”

“Just a precaution, since I got a bad injury a few months ago.”

Sunoo butted in with a grave expression, “they need him for next year’s league more since that’s when the more experienced players graduate, too.” 

“Since when were you interested in sports?” Sunghoon asked, clearly amused.

The rest of their conversation didn’t last very long, but neither did Jake, whose mind started racing the moment Sunghoon had mentioned an injury. Something made his heart skip a beat at that, but he chastised himself quickly after. It wasn’t like that meant Park Sunghoon was his soulmate, even if something in him wanted to immediately jump to that conclusion. He was just acting on his attraction towards the other, that was all.

That was all, he repeated to himself, as they left the classroom.

That was _all_ , he told himself more fiercely, when Euijoo excused himself because he had to go somewhere to meet up with group members for class, leaving the two of them alone. Jake had thought that would also mean Sunghoon heading off on his own, but the latter had merely asked where Jake was going. The brunette faltered a bit before saying he was going to grab a snack from the cafeteria.

“Can I come with you?” Sunghoon asked, smiling hopefully. 

“Sure,” the shorter boy replied immediately because what was he going to do, say no? To Park Sunghoon? He was a fairly smart boy, if anything. Jake tried to keep his nerves in place though as they silently walked together, neither really saying anything else. It wasn’t like how he imagined being alone with the other would go. Mostly, he thought it would never even happen.

Once they reached the cafeteria, Jake walked towards his favourite stall without a second thought.

“Oh, you order from them, too?” Sunghoon asked, stepping into place right next to him. “My roommate thinks the food here is subpar, but he’s a trying-hard food snob.”

“Yeah, almost everyday,” the brunette said, stumbling over his words a little bit.

“Really? It’s weird how we’ve never met before.”

Because, Jake’s mind supplied for him as he refused to answer out-loud, all the times they could have crossed paths usually ended with him rushing the other way out. He looked forward to seeing Park Sunghoon around, but he certainly didn’t want to be _noticed_ for it. Although he’s never exactly seen Sunghoon order from the same small kimbap place, Jake has seen him in the cafeteria a few times for sure. 

However, Sunghoon was usually accompanied by a large group of friends, mainly the hockey team. Either that, or he was just with one other friend―possibly his roommate, Jake wasn’t creepy enough to know every exact detail―and was always ordering from somewhere. There was also their Freshman Valentines Day where the hockey player was, well, swarmed would be a good word to describe his situation.

All times, Jake would watch for a few seconds before quickly fleeing the scene.

They couldn’t have met through Euijoo earlier either because Jake didn’t even know that Euijoo was friends with Sunghoon; he really should have though, since the brunette was sure the other boy was friends with nearly everybody else on campus. That wouldn’t be a surprise at all if that were true. Still, he had Euijoo to thank for being able to meet his campus crush eventually. What happens next is entirely up to him, though. 

Realizing he left Sunghoon hanging, Jake let out an awkward chuckle, “I don’t exactly stand out like you do.”

“What do you mean by that?” The taller boy asked shortly after they’ve placed their orders, a small, amused smirk on his features that made Jake want to fade away. 

Instead, the brunette felt his cheeks flush as he explained, “I mean, you’re in the hockey team, right?” 

“You can stand out without being in a varsity team.”

“But I don’t,” Jake insisted as their orders were called. He stopped in his steps as Sunghoon reached out from beside him to take both orders of triangle kimbap and handed him his, as if he had no hands of his own, but he couldn’t bring it in himself to complain. The other boy had longer arms, after all. He’d get to the food first or something. He muttered a soft thanks as Sunghoon looked around the area for an empty table, spotting one quickly. 

Actually, Jake was supposed to head back to his room to study as he ate, but Sunghoon had already sat down and looked at him expectantly.

Again, he was a smart boy.

He took the seat across Sunghoon just as the other boy opened his mouth to speak.

“You don’t think you stand out?” The dark-haired boy asked, his kimbap on the table, still untouched.

Meanwhile, Jake fidgeted with the wrapper on his and repeated, “I don’t.”

“Agree to disagree then,” Sunghoon said cheekily in response, as he finally began to unwrap his own food. 

The silence that followed was enough for the brunette to process what just happened, although he was still distracted by Sunghoon’s fingers gracefully pulling plastic away from the rice and seaweed. Jake did not need to have more random, obscure reasons to find Park Sunghoon attractive. It didn’t help that they were acquaintances now; not friends, not yet, but enough that Jake could start saying hi to him in the hallways.

If he didn’t end up chickening out or getting embarrassed about the attention, anyway.

With his thoughts still in scrambles from what was happening, Jake didn’t pay attention to the way he took a bite out of his food. He took too much than his mouth was prepared for and in the end, burned his tongue due to the still-too-hot tuna flakes in the center. The surprise then led to him biting the inside of his mouth. He jumped in his seat and tried his best not to look like a complete fool as he fished his water bottle from his bag. 

Across the seat, Sunghoon was staring at him.

The features that crossed the hockey player’s face were a blur of surprise, concern, and finally, realization. 

Except Jake didn’t have the time to take note of any of the facial expressions as he turned to the side to chug his water, already feeling his ears turn red from embarrassment. He chastised himself quietly in his head for choosing the perfect moment to look like an idiot. His tongue was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as bad as the sting in his cheek, but even that wasn’t as bad as everything happening in front of Park Sunghoon, of all people.

Maybe he was just meant to be unlucky with love, Jake wondered to himself.

“You alright?” Sunghoon asked a beat after the brunette settled down.

“I’m fine,” the other boy replied sheepishly, trying his best to appear collected. “I just burned my tongue a little. Maybe also bit my cheek, who knows.”

“The right side?”

“Yeah,” Jake said without thinking twice, running his tongue over the bite in an effort to soothe it, but the burn didn’t make it easy. It looked like Sunghoon wanted to say something else, but a loud ringing interrupted him just as he fished his phone from out of his jacket. The brunette didn’t want to eavesdrop on the call, but he was right there. It sounded like someone was looking for Sunghoon, based on his responses. 

Sure enough, once the call ended, Sunghoon sighed.

“I have to go,” he said apologetically. 

“It’s no problem,” Jake said and meant it. After what happened, he would rather hide inside a hole and never come back out. He watched the taller boy gather his stuff and also carefully wrap up his half-eaten kimbap. Jake himself was thinking about going back to the dorm so he can yell about what happened to Jungwon, who would surely find some way to make him feel ten times more like a fool. 

When Sunghoon stood up to leave, he held out his hand to the other boy. 

“Can I borrow your phone for a second?”

Wordlessly, Jake handed his phone. It was returned to him a few moments later with a new contact added in big, bold letters. Park Sunghoon, complete with a small penguin emoji. 

“Text me if you’re heading to the drama club and need company,” the dark-haired boy said, suddenly looking a little shy himself. “You know, if Euijoo’s busy. If you want.”

Jake swallowed dryly, “I will.”

“Great, see you around then,” Sunghoon said one last time before turning on his heels andquickly walking away, stumbling a little in the process. 

Physically, Jake was in the middle of the school cafeteria with a barely eaten tuna kimbap in one hand and his phone in the other. Mentally, he was screaming because how did he go from admiring Sunghoon from afar to getting his number from the other boy himself? Emotionally, he was torn just as he felt his ankle sting, as if reminding him that he had a _soulmate_ waiting somewhere with an injured foot and possibly, he also realized, an aching tongue. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2021 goal: regular updates ! !
> 
> also, if you're interested in vampire!sunghoon x human!jake, i have another fic here:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/29288604
> 
> and also my first jakehoon oneshot here:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27059455
> 
> that's all ♡

“I’m having an existential crisis.”

“You’ve had one at least twice a day ever since last week, what’s new?” Jungwon asked without even looking up from his laptop, which Jake took personal offense with. The latter couldn’t exactly deny what his roommate said though since the other had a point. It felt like he hasn’t had a normal, calm day ever since he went with Euijoo to join the drama club. Okay, what he _really_ meant was since he was introduced to Park Sunghoon. 

For one, the two interacted now. Like, they actually say hi in the middle of the hallway or that one time Sunghoon decided to stop and _talk_ to Jake for a few minutes before class. Somehow, the brunette went from barely seeing Sunghoon that semester to seeing the latter way too much than his heart could take. It was almost like the hockey player purposely began to just show up wherever Jake was and mess with his heart.

It felt like the whole month of phantom soulmate pains and not seeing Sunghoon ended up flipping around, as now Jake was experiencing the opposite.

The days where he felt bruised and battered lessened considerably. Meanwhile, Park Sunghoon would even _text_ him first on some days, usually drama club updates (that were already announced by Heeseung in their chat group, sometimes even twice). The sudden turn of events made Jake want to scream into his pillow. It didn’t help that Niki, ever the helpful best friend, liked reminding him about his soulmate often whenever they met up.

“Shouldn’t you try to figure out who your soulmate is?” The younger boy asked once, a carton of banana milk in one hand and fish bread in another. 

Jake sighed, “how do you suppose I do that? Break my arm and wait for someone to yell ouch?”

The blonde merely nodded solemnly, “if that’s what it takes.”

“Let’s be real, the chance of me meeting my soulmate among the billions of people in the world is statistically, really low,” Jake began to say, repeating something he’s told himself often. He enjoyed having a soulmate and the idea of it, but a part of him did feel like it was some kind of fairytale that he just had to live through without seeing the ending. Meanwhile, his giant crush had some sort of progress. Maybe. Kind of.

Next to him, also snacking on fish bread, Jungwon scoffed.

“You’re only saying that now that you actually talk to Park Sunghoon now,” the dark-haired boy said pointedly. “Just a few weeks ago, you wanted to meet your soulmate so bad and even deduced they were nearby based on nerdy research.”

Jake couldn’t refute that; he read up on books and articles done by soulmate enthusiasts and actual scientists alike. Most of them had the same theory that soulmates were roughly limited to a person’s general area. They couldn’t fully explain the science and study of it since it was so fate-based and all that, but the least they could do was narrow down people’s soulmates to people they were around or were bound to meet eventually in life.

Whether that was in the middle of university, young and single, or way into the future where the person already married somebody else, nobody could tell for sure. Either way, soulmate links more often than not manifested when the person was close by their soulmate somewhat. That was what Jake was hoping for when he first felt the link, especially when it grew more frequent. He expected to have already met his soulmate now, too.

But instead, he was left with nearly no pain in his body.

Just a week before, he was close to limping himself despite having no actual injury, and now Jake sort of missed the soul bond being present. 

Which brought him back to his current situation, in his dorm with Jungwon, having an existential crisis. There was an upcoming meeting for the drama club again that day to have membership bonding and games before they start to plan out the year’s play in fuller detail. Everybody, especially newbies, was highly encouraged to attend. Kim Sunoo even made it a point to mention that Sunghoon was going to be present, which led to most people saying they could make it.

It was an effective strategy.

“Should I go?” Jake asked out loud.

“You have to since you signed up for the club and all,” his roommate replied.

The brunette nodded to himself, “should I ask Euijoo if he’s going?”

Jungwon stopped whatever he was doing on his laptop in favour of actually looking at Jake, who was lying down on his bed, upside down. The latter’s fingers were fidgeting around his phone, a sign that he was thinking about more than just Euijoo and the drama club. Jake was nearly inseparable from his phone ever since the first text he got from Sunghoon out of the blue. It’s been that way since, whether the brunette would admit it or not.

“Didn’t Sunghoon say to contact him if you needed company?”

“I guess,” Jake replied after a slight pause, feeling his cheeks redden at the memory of the other boy asking for his number and everything that day, which felt so recent and so long ago at the same time. He was trying hard to see the other boy as just another new friend, but with his crush on him and everything, it was proving to be harder than he thought. 

“You’ve been pining over him since last year, why don’t you take the chance you’re given and just start flirting with him or something?”

The older boy felt his cheeks burn even warmer, “I don’t know how to do that.”

In an effort to distract himself, Jake brought his knee up and poked it, waiting for some kind of pain. 

Nothing.

“I hope my soulmate is okay,” he said absentmindedly instead.

“If you’re not feeling anything, doesn’t that mean they _are_ okay?” Jungwon pointed out, stating the obvious. He snickered, “you’re supposed to be smarter than this, Jake.”

The brunette merely groaned and rolled over on his bed, hugging one of his many pillows closer to his body. It wasn’t supposed to be that hard, ignoring his feelings for Park Sunghoon and focusing on his soulmate instead, but every step closer to the other boy felt like one step farther away from whom fate wanted him to be with. Was that alright? Would it be fair for his soulmate? What about Sunghoon’s soulmate, if he had one?

The thought made Jake sit up abruptly.

“Jungwon, what if Sunghoon already has a soulmate?” 

“You could always ask,” the younger boy said simply. “What’s stopping you?”

Did he want to know? The brunette considered all possibilities that came with bringing the topic up. There were some people who didn’t have soulmates and avoided the topic completely. Meanwhile, there were some who did but chose not to fall into the mainstream belief that soulmates are everything in life and that people were only meant for one person. A lot of the ones against soulmates were often those who were already in love with somebody else.

Then again, it would be nice to know what Sunghoon thought about soulmates in general. Jake already knew that he himself fell into the category that adored the idea of soulmates, even if dealing with the pain was a hassle, but it was comforting in a way. Maybe if he asked, Sunghoon would end up telling him things that he would rather not know about. Or, his traitorous heart began to whisper, _they_ could be soulmates.

He shook that thought out of his head immediately.

Impossible.

A few hours later and shortly after Jungwon kicked him out for being too noisy, Jake found himself standing outside the student dorms, tapping away on his phone. He was begging Euijoo not to miss the drama club meeting, giving reasons like how he didn’t want to be alone and how he only joined because the other boy said so, but Euijoo explained that he already made previous plans. Besides, his friend helpfully added, he wouldn’t be alone since he was friends with Sunghoon now. That just made Jake beg even more. All he got were cute stickers in return.

He contemplated not going to the meeting as well when his phone began to ring with Park Sunghoon’s name on the screen. 

“Hello?” The brunette answered, ignoring the way his throat suddenly felt dry.

“Jakey!” Sunghoon replied brightly from the other end, causing a moment of internal panic to flood through Jake’s system because when was he even given a nickname? More importantly, _why_ was he given a nickname? What did that mean? Did it mean anything at all? He almost missed what the other boy said next, but thankfully, he managed to keep listening. “Are you free before the club meeting later?” 

He nodded dumbly before realizing it was just a voice call, “I should be.”

“Great, are you at the dorms?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t sound sure,” the dark-haired boy said teasingly. Jake was glad it was just a call, that way Sunghoon couldn’t see the way his face lit up with pink. “I’m on my way there, can we grab a bite to eat beforehand? I tried getting Sunoo to eat with me, but he says he needed to help handle the activities for later.”

Ah, so he wasn’t the first option. Somehow, that made Jake feel a weird mix of emotions, but he shoved them out of his mind as quickly as they came.

“I’m standing right outside the dorm,” he eventually said, looking around to see if he could spot the hockey player before the latter could spot him, “wearing a white cap, if that helps.”

He received a low chuckle in response, “I think you’re the only one looking like a lost puppy outside the dorms right now, Jake.”

“I do not―“

Jake’s retaliation―or his attempt at it, rather, since he didn’t really know what to say―was cut off by the sound of footsteps nearby, making him turn to face the source of the sound. Sure enough, Sunghoon was walking over with a wide grin on his face, like he was clearly amused. It also showed off his perfect smile and perfect teeth; he could model a toothpaste brand and get half of South Korea to buy the product in a second. 

“You really do,” Sunghoon said in greeting, dropping the call once he was next to the brunette and placing a hand on top of Jake’s head, “hey there.”

Thankfully, Jake managed not to jump out of his skin at the sudden contact, the impact of which was lessened due to the cap he was wearing. There was also no way in hell he was going to look up and meet the other’s eyes. He did, however, end up freezing in place for a few seconds before swatting the other’s arm away lightly, making an effort not to accidentally hit Sunghoon too hard in the midst of his panic. He managed to succeed freeing his head, stepping pointedly away.

“Don’t rub it in that I’m shorter,” he complained half-heartedly, unable to really feign annoyance towards the other, especially not what Sunghoon was _still_ smiling at him.

The dark-haired boy merely grinned wider, “that wasn’t my intention, I promise.”

“If you say so,” Jake said nonchalantly, taking his cap off and running his fingers through his hair in an effort to fix what wasn’t really messed up. 

Before he could place his cap back on, he felt a familiar weight resting on his head again.

“Your hair really is as soft as it looks,” Sunghoon mumbled, mostly to himself as he gave Jake’s head a few quick pats, unaware that the shorter boy began to immediately malfunction. The latter could already feel his face begin to burn and was thankful that he managed to slap his cap back on and hide his face effectively from view the moment Sunghoon pulled away. The other boy had an innocent smile on his face, “still kind of a like a puppy, I’d say.”

“Please stop,” the brunette couldn’t help but whine, feeling his face flush and hoping that it wasn’t obvious. 

The helpless tone in his voice only made Sunghoon laugh a little, but soon he raised his hands up in surrender and took a step back himself, “okay, no more teasing.”

It took a while before Jake could feel his heart rate return to normal. By the time that it did, they had already begun walking towards the campus gates. He was still too tongue-tied but what happened to fully engage in a conversation, but he did manage to agree when Sunghoon said he wanted to eat at the chicken place next to the university, leaving the rest of their walk there in silence. A million things kept running through Jake’s mind, but one was louder than the rest.

He really wished Park Sunghoon was his soulmate. 

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave me comments and kudos and tell your friends maybe,,,  
> twt: @stilljunhui / @milkaism ! ko-fi support is also much appreciated !! http://ko-fi.com/stilljunhui .. .... ...
> 
> that's all muah stay safe and healthy everyone !! ♡


End file.
